Race to My Heart
by Coffee Blackplease
Summary: AU, High School, Hinata is a peace-lover & a little more confident & Naruto is an aspiring racer as rambunctious as ever, but soon they will meet and fall in love! M later on
1. My Name is Hyuuga Hinata

**Race to My Heart**

By Coffee Blackplease

**Summary: **AU, don't be discouraged by the SciFi label I'm not even sure if this counts as SciFi. Hinata is a little more confident and Naruto is as rambunctious as ever, but soon they will meet and fall in love! M later on

**Author's Note: **This is my first Fanfiction… ever! I'm really new to this and I'm really excited/nervous to have people read my writing! I usually keep my ideas to myself but I really love reading so many of the things I read on this site and I couldn't help wanting to share the stories in my head too! Be honest with your opinions please, it would be greatly appreciated. I don't care if you "flame" me or whatever, as long as it's your honest opinion then I want to hear it and hopefully I will be able to improve my writing. Anyway I'm talking too much, just know, *This story will alternate points of view and the change will be indicated by the new character's name being written in bold and followed by a semi colon.

Anyway on with the show!

**Chapter 1: My Name is Hyuuga Hinata.**

**Hinata:**

I never really thought much about racing. Sure it's a big deal around here, or I guess it is everywhere now-a-days. But still, I never gave it much thought. I can't remember having any particular opinion on it until… well until I met Uzumaki Naruto.

Wednesday, March 15, 2082 Tokyo, Japan

Hyuuga Hinata. That's my name and I love it. My mother named me Hinata after her pet dog she had early on in childhood. I suppose most people would take offense to this, being named after a dog, but I always thought it suited me. Not to say I'm like a dog or anything, just that that dog brought my mother comfort.

Being from the second branch of Hyuuga, which is often considered inferior to the main branch put a lot of strain on her as a child. She was never expected to succeed at much, and she had to rely on her own confidence instead of that of her family to achieve her dreams. My mother's mother and father died shortly after she was born and she never could remember much about them. She grew up in a small apartment in one of the Hyuuga owned buildings downtown, being raised by her Aunt Katsumi.

Hinata, her dog I mean, had a coat of golden hair that was always shining like sunlight. That and her big brown hues were what earned her the name Sunflower. Hinata went everywhere with my mother, she walked her to school, and would be waiting outside the gates after class to bring her home safe. She walked her to the market, past the new-age jazz musicians and long-forgotten stage performers providing lucky pedestrians with what could be their final act. She slept at the foot of her bed and cuddled into her side when she had nightmares.

Hinata was my mother's only friend for years. They played together, ate together, and my mother would always swear that they laughed together too. To a lonely girl with no parents, next to no social skills, and absolutely no familial encouragement, Hinata was the best thing that could have happened to her. My mother even told me of a time Hinata had saved her from a couple of neighborhood bullies who decided it would be fun to chuck stones at her. Yes, Hinata was a good dog.

I always feel honored knowing that my mother named me after such a strong presence in her life, one that affected her so greatly. It makes me feel like my mother meant for me to be strong and kind, just like her first Hinata, and one day I hope I can bring someone the same type of comfort Hinata brought to my mother.

…Now, my family name, Hyuuga, is one I love equally. This might seem odd considering how hard being a Hyuuga made life for my mother, but after marrying my father, the heir to the main branch, her life completely turned around. They were really in love despite what all the old bats hanging on every whim of the Hyuuga council would prattle on about. I could tell by the way they looked at each other, by the gleam in my mother's eyes, and the hint of a smile that my father would only wear when my mother was near.

I love the name Hyuuga because of what it expects of me. Sure, I'm not heir, as my father gave that position to my cousin Neji years ago, but people expect great things from me and I consider this a blessing rather than a curse. Knowing how much it hurt my mother, for people never to expect anything from her, I love that people hear my name and think, 'she's going to do something great'.

I am Hinata Hyuuga, daughter of Hiashi and Harumi Hyuuga, elder sister of Hanabi Hyuuga, and cousin to Neji Hyuuga, the future head of Hyuuga Inc. the world's third richest anything period. Meaning my father could literally run countries if money was really the only factor. Hyuuga Inc. is at present the most influential and most prosperous member of the PTMP, aka the Populate The Milkyway Project.

The Project was launched in 2060 due to Earth's ever growing population and the estimated population growth rates found at the time. It is an internationally supported project and has also been praised by the UN. My family, the Hyuuga, who were already successful business tycoons in Japan thought it wise to dabble into the field of inner-galaxy colonization. Not that there is any life out there, at least none that has been found in our galaxy, Hyuuga Inc. and the other members of the PTMP work to make the solid structures around us suitable for human living. The main focus has been the moon and developing a space port there on which astronauts and members of the PTMP can interact with one another.

So far, they have managed to establish a few small but functioning communication centers across the moon and they have already started the building of the Space port. It is meant to serve as a home base from which members of the PTMP can launch and further explore our galaxy and hopefully create satellites to orbit our neighboring planets that are large enough to accommodate a small fraction of the earth's population while still being safe and comfortable.

It may be far fetched but some progress has been made and blueprints for one such satellite designed by my cousin Neji were just approved by the PTMP and it is rumored that construction will begin in 2084. More impressive I think is the improved international relations that have resulted thanks to the Project. There hasn't been a war in over 25 years! That's amazing, in my lifetime there has not been a single war for me, or any of my loved ones to witness.

Sure there are the occasional small scale rebellions and they are unfortunate, but to see such a wide domain of peace over the planet just warms my heart. I'm not saying life is perfect, I'm sure crime rates are the same as they always were, and there are still poor people and class divisions and prejudice, but overall international relations have improved, and I think that's something to be grateful for, even if most of the people responsible for this peacetime are only after money.

All in all I am proud to be the member of a family whose influence has helped to bring about global peace, and for the most part prosperity. Maybe my opinion is somewhat biased but I truly believe that and I will work to support my family in anyway that I can.

My dream is actually to be one of the diplomats for the PTMP. The project may be internationally supported, and most of the world's countries do participate in it, but still sometimes diplomacy is needed to smooth over any conflicts and keep the peace.

That is what I want to do, keep the peace, and if that means kindly sharing information and ideas developed in one branch of the PTMP with members in another regions branch, then I will gladly do so.

I just hope that I can actually be of some assistance…

Oh well, I should probably clear my head of all of this now, after all I have a physics test today, and despite my cousin and sisters knack for it, I'm not exactly an expert.

I looked down at my watch and started to sprint down the street

_Gosh darn daydreaming! I'm going to be late!_

Luckily I could see the outline of my school as I neared the top of the hill and I rushed in past the few stragglers that didn't seem to care whether they were late or not. The sign that read Konoha High gleamed in the sunlight as I ran under it and into the school.

_Whew, I made it and with just a minute to spare!_

I quickly composed myself and took my usual seat beside the school's valedictorian Haruno Sakura.

"Good Morning Hinata-chan, I see we were cutting it kind of close today were we?"

I flushed in embarrassment, "Huff… I g-guess s-so,"

She laughed "Wow, stuttering are we? You must be really out of breath," she teased.

I smiled slightly at her, she was right stuttering was one of my old childhood habits that I'm proud to say I grew out of, or more accurately worked my way out of, those speech classes were no joke! But the stutter still slipped when I was nervous, under extreme pressure, or in this case, completely winded.

"Yeah, I sprinted all the way from the giant sycamore tree!" I confessed, completely in control of my breathing now.

She only smiled, "Oh, Hinata-chan, what am I going to do with you?"

We both chuckled at that and then faced front as Nakamura-sensei entered the classroom. We all stood and bowed "Okay class," she said "I hope you're ready for that test," we all groaned, with the exception of Sakura that is, she merely made a little huffy sound.

She turned to me, "Don't worry Hinata, you'll do fine,"

I smiled at her, "Thanks Sakura-san, I know you will too."

And then the test began, oh joy, the wonders of physics! I couldn't help but smile to myself at my little mini joke, and people said Hanabi was the funny Hyuuga, please! Oh well, no use in getting upset.

For now I guess I'll focus on my test.

That's all for now,

Sorry if it's kinda short!

Review, Review, please! ;D


	2. Enter Uzumaki Naruto, Racing Extraordina

**Author's Note: **In case there is any confusion, I just want to point out that the occasional thoughts written in italics are written so because they are the things that the person would actually say out loud if they weren't so wary of the response they would get.

The italicized single words are only italicized for emphasis, unless it is obvious that it is a one word sentence pertaining to what I typed above.

**Chapter 2: Enter Uzumaki Naruto, Racing Extraordinaire!**

**Naruto:**

Diplomacy, schmiplomacy, that's what I thought before I met her. But I guess not all things can be settled with a good race, I learned that after meeting her, and not too long after that I fell in love. I have never met a soul kinder than Hyuuga Hinata.

Wednesday, March 15, 2082 Tokyo, Japan

The birds were chirping outside my window again, and I felt the sun filter in from the blinds in my window and heat my skin.

"Nnnggghhh…" I moaned as I shifted in my bed only to bump into something squishy. Maybe squishy wasn't the right word for it, sure the outermost layer was pretty squishy, but right underneath it I could feel something hard and unappealing… boney that's what it was. _Wait,… boney?_

"Good Morning Naruto-kun, I just love being woken up by a good poke in the spine,"

My eyes flew open, that was a distinctly feminine voice. I leaned forward on my elbows and saw a purple haired female lying naked beside me. _Hmm, when did this happen? _She turned and looked at me and I saw two recognizable golden eyes. Oh that's right, that girl from the bar, that's the last time I let Pervy-sage rope me into a night of drinking.

What was her name again… Setsuna?… Setsuki? Satomi?

"Yeah, hello to you to handsome," she said.

I didn't know what to say, I had to trick her into revealing her name to me. Man, you'd think after so many one-night stands, I would have gotten the hang of things by now. Psht, yeah right.

"Uhm… Good Morning,"

She smiled impishly at me, "You don't remember my name do you?"

_Shit, Shit, Shit… _"No, of course I remember your name," I lied.

"What is it then?"

Great, just great, I had to say I remembered her name… well here goes nothing, "It's Satomi,"

She smiled warmly at me, _Nice save_.

"Well, I have to get ready for work, this was nice kid," she said.

Hmph, kid! Sure, it was obvious she was older than me but I remember her screaming some pretty naughty yet encouraging things last night, could a kid make her scream like that?

She seemed to notice the look on my face and smiled at me again. "Don't worry about it, I call everybody kid, even my twin brother and were only two minutes apart."

I didn't feel so peeved after hearing that, so I relaxed my face. She started to get dressed putting her socks on first. _God, the morning after is always so awkward_. I don't know what to say to her.

Something told me 'Hey, that was nice, thanks for the sex, but could you leave my apartment now?' wasn't going to cut it. And besides, she was already leaving.

She was fully dressed now and I stood to walk her out.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked, eyeing my lower extremity.

I looked down and blushed a little at my own stupidity. I shoved on some ramen bowl boxers and walked her to the door.

"Well, it was nice meeting you," I said. I felt bad, especially about not really remembering her name, but I didn't want her to get the wrong idea. This wasn't happening again.

Relationships weren't for me and I don't do fuck-buddies or replays either. I wasn't looking for any distractions, and besides, it's not like you can trust just anybody anyway.

She smiled at me, less warmly this time. I think she got the message. "Bye Naruto, it was nice meeting you too," she said and turned to walk out the door.

Right as I was about to close it behind her she called out to me,

"And by the way, it's Satori," she said, her grape-colored hair swishing behind her.

I felt pretty bad after Satomi-Satori left, I could be a real jerk sometimes. But oh well, at least it's over now and I don't have to worry about hurting _that_ particular girl's feelings again.

Sometimes, I felt bad about being such a man-whore and I feel even worse thinking about what my mom would think of me if she were still around, but hey, I don't see how I can avoid it. I'm a perfectly healthy seventeen-year-old male, and I have my urges.

I went back to sleep until around noon and then I showered and headed out to the track.

My mother and father are dead. At least my mother is, she passed when I was around five. I never knew who my father was and mom never said much about him so I don't have any negative, or positive, feelings about him. I know Jiraiya knew him, I came up with that one on my own, but I'm pretty sure it's true.

Jiraiya, aka Pervy-sage, is my god-father and he took me in after my mother died. I lived with him for a good ten-years and I loved it. But I couldn't help feeling that I was imposing, especially since he couldn't bring lady friends to the house anymore. That was one of his favorite past-times!

So, when I was fifteen I convinced Jiraiya to let me live on my own. He pays the rent for me with my mother's inheritance and gives me enough to get by. I can't legally access the money on my own until I'm eighteen but I'm not too worried about that. Pervy-sage does just fine as my accountant, and I'm not too eager to take over.

I made it to the track in record time, at first I was confused by this, but then I realized that in all my reminiscing I forgot to stop by Ichiraku's and get some breakfast courtesy of the old man. Oh well, I'm already here mine as well get to it!

I saw a head of spiky white hair in the distance and I started over "Oi! Pervy-sage! How ya' doin old-timer!" I waved as I sprinted over.

He turned and gave me the stank face, accompanied by it's friend the evil eye. It always amazes me that he is able to perfect the combination of the two.

"Naruto, I'll have you know that I am a spring chicken! And I am most certainly not a pervert!"

"Yeah, Yeah, Pervy-sage, whatever helps you sleep at night," his frowned deepened and I peeked around him to see the Nara working under what looked like a new glitzer. No, that _was_ a new glitzer! "Swee-hee-heeet! New wheels for me test out!"

Pervy-sage seemed to soften up a bit at this, "What makes you think you should be allowed to ride Nara-san's new creation? He worked hard on this, too hard for some knuckle-head with no respect for human speed limitations to wreck it on his first test-run!" _Okay, maybe he didn't soften up at all_.

"Ouch Pervy-sage! That's cruel! And since when do I wreck bikes!" I hollered.

"Oh, so then I just imagined the G-37 Wylder that ended up in the scrap heap thanks to you?" he accused.

"Oh come on," I whined "That thing had to 've been like eighty years old! It was barely staying together as it was!"

"That glitzer was not eighty years old Naruto! It was only fifteen! And it was a classic! Why don't you learn some respect for the machinery that allows you to race like that!"

I was more than a little peeved now. How dare he imply that I don't respect the machinery, I practically worship those glitzers and the ground that they and their creators set foot on! "I know it was a classic!" I yelled, "I just mean that if it was really kept in such good condition then maybe it wouldn't have crumpled into a scrap heap after one little bump on the rim of the track!"

"Are you implying that we don't care for our bikes here! Because you damn well know that's not the case! We pay extra special attention to each and every beautiful glitzer and part that comes through our doors!" He yelled back.

"I know that! But last time I checked that glitzer only came into our ownership a few months ago! After _you_ purchased it an auction, Shikamaru didn't even get the chance to look at it before I raced in it, you have no idea what kind of condition it could have been in thanks to it's _prior_ owners!" I seethed.

"I-"

"Ladies, Ladies, relax will you?" Shikamaru cut in.

We both continued to huff and stare each other down for a little bit longer but eventually all my tension started to release, I know Pervy-sage didn't really mean all of that stuff, he was just upset I called him a pervert. Must be in an especially bad mood today, he usually doesn't mind it so much.

He seemed to know I didn't mean any of that stuff either because he smiled a little at me.

"Oh Naruto, my boy, I'm sorry, I know you respect the bikes and I'm sorry if I offended you,"

"S'okay Pervy-sage, I know you didn't mean it,"

He laughed a little at this and ruffled my hair. I mock glared at him and began un-ruffling it.

"Yeah, Yeah, anyway ladies," Shikamaru started, I could've sworn I heard him mutter 'troublesome' when he paused "Of course you can race it you dobe, I built it for you, why else would it have the Uzumaki spiral on the side of it?"

_What? _I looked at him quizzically before turning over towards the bike. Sure, enough, there was a red-orange spiral on the right side under the handle bars.

I felt the backs of my eyes start to heat up. My mother had established the Uzumaki Racing Company when I was three, it had always been her dream to be a great racer, the best glitzer that ever lived. When she died, I sort of adopted that dream as my own, not out of obligation or anything, I truly love racing, but it was a plus that it made me feel closer to my mother.

Today the Uzumaki Racing Co. is still pretty small, Jiraiya pretty much runs things and Shikamaru is our favorite mechanic, he even agreed to work exclusively for us a few years back. He's only my age but man, the guy is a genius!

I'm a racer, more specifically a glitzer, the only kind of racer anyone wants to be in this day and age.

Glitzer's are similar in build to your classic motorcycle, but that's old tech. Glitzer's don't actually have to touch the ground, they basically shoot out air with a bunch of crazy chemicals in it, which by the way are pretty environmentally friendly courtesy of the tree-hugger association, and this air mixture is what moves the bike. The air comes out of sixteen to twenty miniature fuel pipes on the bottom of the glitzer, and they literally form little wheels of air that propel the glitzer forward at amazing speeds making you feel like you're gliding on air and actually making contact with the ground all at the same time. It's _amazing_.

Anyway, even though I technically own the URC, or at least when I'm eighteen I do, my main focus is on the racing, and Jiraiya handles the more businessy parts of the business. My dream is to not only become the best Glitzer the world has ever known, but to make the Uzumaki Racing Co. the top in the industry. I want everyone to know the name of what my mother started, and the best way to do that is to win the Constellation Toucher, the most epic race ever known to man!

I don't qualify for it yet, but in a few more years, after I've got a bunch of wins under my belt, I will. And I'm going to win it.

I'm going to become a legend. And take my mom's name and that of the URC up with me.

For now though, we're just a little racing company with a dream, not even thirty employees, including me, Jiraiya, and Shikamaru. We co-own our track with a few other small scale racing companies and we work hard.

Still, seeing that spiral on a bike, on a glitzer, _my_ very own glitzer, made me all tingly inside. The heat behind my eyes continued to build and I could see my vision blurring, I looked down at Shikamaru who was still sitting next to the bike.

"Hey, whoa man," he said "No need to get so sentimental, it wasn't even my idea, it was Jiraiya's," he said.

"Aw, now! Don't be modest Shikamaru-kun! We came up with it together, and you did most of the work!"

My tears were spilling over know and I leaped forward reaching my arm out and bringing Pervy-sage down with me to Shikamaru and I just hugged them.

"Man! I just love you guys!" I wailed, snot was oozing out of my nose and everything.

"Ew, Naruto get off," Shikamaru complained.

"Yeah, let go!" Pervy-sage agreed, "I don't roll that way!"

But I just hugged them tighter and continued to cry, pretty loudly if I do say so myself.

"Come on, you're causing a scene," Shikamaru nagged trying to pry me off of him, but I barely registered the mob of URC and other racing companies employees that began to surround us. I heard a lot of laughing and hoots and hollers but I didn't care.

Shikamaru and Jiraiya continued to struggle but I didn't let them go for a good long while.

Boy, am I lucky to have such great friends. I really love these guys!

Whew! Chapter 2 DONE!

Not all the chapter's will be fully in one person's POV but I'll probably try to make it like that.

Anyway, Review, Review, tell me what you think of my Naruto!

Thanks guys! ;D


	3. Friends and Siblings

_**Author's Note: **__Okay, so 2 reviews so far… but I'm not too discouraged yet and thanks so much to Insanely Irish and Rose Tiger for those reviews, you really made my day!_

_**Chapter Three: Friends and Siblings**_

_**Hinata:**_

_Friday, March 17, 2082_

_Tokyo, Japan_

_We got our physics tests back today, I didn't do so hot…_

_I sat down at my seat and lifted the lid off my bento, sighing, I grabbed my chopsticks and began to eat._

"_What's the matter Hinata-chan?" Sakura asked taking her usual seat next to me._

"_Oh, nothing really just feeling sorry for myself," I said motioning toward the corner of my test sticking out from under my bento._

_She reached over and snatched it out from under my food. Her eyes read over it carefully and then she looked up at me. "Hinata, an 83 is nothing to sneeze at, especially in Advanced Physics, don't be so bummed,"_

_I smiled at her, "Yeah, I know, like I said I'm just being silly, I guess I just really wanted an A after studying so hard,"_

"_I understand," she said._

_I don't understand why people dislike Sakura so much. I mean, the boys seem to like her just fine, and I can see why, she's incredibly smart and beautiful. But she tends to keep her distance, focusing on her school work. The girls are the ones that are always causing trouble._

_Most of the females in this school start a lot of rumors about her and they spread like wild fire. She doesn't have many friends, though I'm not sure she would even if the rumors didn't exist. She kind of gives off a sure-of-herself vibe and a lot of people can interpret that as her being snobbish or they deem her unapproachable. She's really not either though._

_And though most people might find it hard to believe, she is also extremely kind. Whenever a girl, or anybody, has a question or needs help, she'll always teach them to the best of her ability, even if it's proven that he or she was the start of or is spreading a rumor about her._

_I think that's one of the things I like most about Sakura, she's incredibly forgiving. She's always talked to me just fine, and it's not like I have the best social skills or the most friends either._

_I don't know if I would consider us friends now, but our relationship has really grown since being seated next to each other this year._

_I smiled at her again, and though I'm usually not this nosey I couldn't help being curious, and besides we are sort-of like friends, aren't we?_

"_So…" I began "What did you get?" I asked._

_She eyed me at first, she tried to play it off as if it was all in good fun, but I could tell she was a little wary. I'm not surprised, people are quick to call you a conceited show-off even if they did ask you_ what your score was.

I felt a little bad for asking her, I shouldn't have put her in that position, I mean we aren't _really_ friends. "A-Ano, Sakura-san, I shouldn't have-"

"A 99.5" She said, eyeing me again.

At first I was a little shocked. But then I suddenly felt laughter building in my stomach, and though I had no idea why I couldn't keep it at bay. "That's great Sakura-san!" I exclaimed between giggles, it was a little loud for me but I couldn't help myself.

Sakura-chan went a little bug eyed at first, like this was the last thing she was expecting. I have to admit I wasn't expecting it either. And then she started laughing too. "S-sorry Hinata-chan," she barely managed to get out, "I should have known that's how you'd react."

We gained ourselves a lot of attention from our classmates for that but we didn't care. We just kept laughing even though I'm sure neither of us knew what it was that was so funny.

Maybe we really were friends.

After school that day, I was finishing up some homework that I had started while waiting on my violin instructor. I was pretty much stumped. I sighed and got ready to pack up and start the trek to the downtown shopping district when Sakura walked in.

"Oh! Hinata, I didn't expect to see you here," she said.

"Yeah, Naoki-sempai was a little late for lessons today so I started on some homework, I figured I'd finish it before I left."

She walked over to her desk, "And did you?" she asked.

"Well actually," I confessed "I'm not sure how to do the last problem," I said looking down. Then I had an idea.. "Uhm, do you think you could help?" I asked.

I looked up and she was smiling, "Sure," she said. She picked up the workbook and stared down the problem, her eyebrows knitted together for just a second before they relaxed, "Yeah, I know how to do this one," she said, as she proceeded to sit down and explain it to me.

By the time she was done, I knew exactly how to solve the problem, and I knew I wouldn't have any trouble with any similar ones I should come across in the future.

"Thanks, Sakura-san," I said, "You were really a huge help!"

She beamed at me and I thought that I had never seen Sakura look so happy. "It was my pleasure Hinata-chan," she said, mock punching me in my arm, "Not a lot people are as kind as you are," she said.

"You are," I said. And she stopped.

She looked back at me, she stayed like that for a long while, just staring at me, and I began to wonder if I had said something wrong. "You, know Hinata," she said, "You can drop the san, besides, were going to be pretty good friends from now on."

I couldn't help smiling at this, and I realized that I had dropped the san in my mind a long time ago. "Sure thing, Sakura-chan!" I said.

Sakura ended up tagging along with me downtown, I was happy that we would get to spend time with each other but it also meant that I would need to make a second trip to the shopping district.

Hanabi's birthday is in ten days and then Sakura-chan's is the day after. I had planned to get both of their gifts out of the way today. I could still buy Hanabi's but I'd have to come back for Sakura's.

I was going to buy her a present even before today, but now I felt compelled to give her something special to solidify our budding friendship. I could see myself pumping my fist in the air in my mind. There's no way I'd do that in front of Sakura-chan though.

I ended up finding Hanabi's gift pretty quickly and so we spent the next few hours just window shopping and stuffing our faces with random junk food from many of the street corner booths, it was fun.

I'd never had a friend that I could do things like this with before, and something told me Sakura-chan hadn't either.

When I got home that evening Hanabi bum-rushed me. She tackled me to the floor and demanded to know where I'd been.

For a scrawny eleven-year-old, she sure could pack a punch. She got a lot force behind that tackle as well. "Okay, Okay, I'm sorry," I lied, anything to keep her from gnawing my arm off.

She unlatched her teeth from my shoulder and sat up, "Where were you?" she asked again, "I have loads of gossip to fill you in on!" she exclaimed.

I laughed at this and explained to Hanabi that I had made a new friend. She asked if it was a boyfriend and when I said no she didn't seem convinced. So I told her about Sakura and our day, minus the purchasing her birthday present part, and she smiled. She seemed genuinely happy for me and I knew this was the case when she really said so.

Hanabi went on to prattle about the latest gossip in school and the little girl Toki, whom she had been feuding with for the past three years now.

A conversation with Hanabi was never a dull one, even if you didn't really get to say much. She talked about how when Toki talked she looked constipated, and how her substitute teacher had both back hair _and_ stomach hair, and how the gray and white strands peaked out from above his color and in between the buttons of his shirt. I laughed a lot at that one.

Oh my sister, Hanabi.

How lucky I am to have such a wonderfully adorable sister, and a kind new friend.

Life was great, and I settled into bed and let Hanabi cuddle in beside me as she insisted on a "sleepover". I laughed again at my little sister's antics and fell asleep to the sound of her high-pitched but soothing voice.

WHEW! Tell me how you liked it.

I absolutely love Hanabi-chan! And I know you're probably like "When are we gonna get to the NaruHina love!" but don't worry I assure you, I have it all planned out.

Just give me 2-3 more chapters.

With that said,

Love ya guys!

Thanks for reading! Review, Review! ;D!


	4. Anniversaries Aren't for Cowards

**Author's Note: **SUUUUPPPPERRR sorry about the extra late update. I had so much going on, you know, SAT, AP testing, prom, it was just crazy. Things I finally starting to settle down a little so thanks for being patient! XD!

**Chapter 4: Anniversaries Aren't for Cowards**

**Naruto:**

Thursday, March 16, 2082

Tokyo, Japan

Whew! Man! Yesterday was awesome! After I finally let go of Shikamaru and Pervy-Sage and cleaned up a bit I started riding Rasengan, the lovely name given to my lovely new machine. I don't know it just came to me.

I raced around the track for hours, at least that's what I was told, it didn't seem long enough to me and I was a little disappointed when Pervy-sage called me in to say we were locking up.

When I actually stepped off of Rasengan, I was surprised to see how dark it was outside and how tired I was, I could barely stand my muscles were cramping up so much! Not to mention I really had to pee! And I was starving!

It was practically pitch black save for the stars and the sliver of a moon overhead. You could see some dots of light on even the dark side of the moon though. Shikamaru said it was some money-hungry organization that were actually doing the world some good despite their own knowledge. Whatever that meant.

I suddenly realized that I had yet to compliment Shikamaru on how well Rasengan actually ran, she felt amazing under me. Uhh, err… no sexual innuendo intended.

"Hey, Jiraiya!" I called out.

He turned around so fast I almost didn't catch it, he was gaping like a fish. "What did you just call me?" he asked.

_Shit_. I thought, I guess in all my excitement I actually forgot to use the old nickname. I'll never hear the end of this now. _It'll probably be all over the track by tomorrow_.

"Nothing, listen. Where's Shikamaru?" I asked quickly changing the subject, "He really outdid himself this time, she runs like a dream!"

"He left to school hours ago," he said still grinning at me like some dorky old rich guy who just bought out some poor family's business. "Right after you started riding in fact. Besides," he went on, "Even if he hadn't attended class today, do you really think _he_ would stick around till this late?" he asked.

He had a point there, "No, I guess not," I said. I was pretty bummed, but I guess there's always tomorrow.

"Don't sweat it, there's always tomorrow," Pervy-sage said, taking the words right out of my mouth.

"Yeah, yeah, see ya Pervy-sage, I'm off to Ichiraku's!" I called over my shoulder, waving back to him.

"Hey, what happened to Jiraiya!" he called back.

I debated pretending like I didn't hear him and I decided that that was my best bet.

And then I was off to get my ramen!

I walked into the small restaurant and pushed the dangling paper aside as I entered.

"Hey guys! You miss me this morning?" I called out in greeting.

Ayame-chan laughed at me. And Teuchi just huffed.

"Don't be so loud will you? It's late you know!" he scolded.

"Eh heh, sorry old man," I said rubbing the back of my head sheepishly.

He smiled at me "Oh, It's okay," he said, "Com'on and have a seat, tonight's on the house," he said.

Confused but grateful, I smirked at him, "Oh yeah, and why is that?" I asked him.

"Did you forget what day it was?" he asked, seemingly appalled.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Look at the clock Naruto-kun," Ayame-chan giggled. And so I did. 12:01am. Hmm. 12:01am… well if yesterday was the fifteenth, that means today is the sixteenth. March 16th.

"Oh boy old timer! It's our anniversary!" I exclaimed.

"Damn right it is," he huffed, playing every bit the upset lover, "I can't believe you forgot!"

Twelve years ago on this day, my mother took me to get my first bowl of Iciraku's ramen, and I've been in love ever since. _Ahh, ramen really is the only girl for me… and well maybe Rasengan too._

"Oh, honey! I didn't forget!" I defended, "I didn't even know it was the sixteenth already! You've gotta forgive me!" I whined.

They both laughed at that. "Yeah, yeah, alright already." he said and went on to cook and serve me my ramen.

I told them all about my day and how amazing Rasengan was, leaving out the part about Setsuki- I mean Satomi! They chastised me enough about my promiscuous ways, Ayame especially. She's always telling me that when I finally do stumble upon the right girl, that she won't feel able to trust me. Ah, she's such a meddlesome nee-chan. I smiled at the thought. These two and Jiraiya really were like family.

I listened to the latest gossip, Ichiraku edition, and we laughed and talked for a good two-hours before I finally made my way home.

It was a good day, and when I finally reached my bed, I barely managed to yank my shoes off before I collapsed into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

I finally cracked my eyes open at around eleven, oh well, no sense in going to school today either, I thought. _S'not like I have any friends there anyway_, not to mention the teachers all hate me. _Ah, why couldn't I just stay in middle school with Iruka-sensei forever?_

I got out of bed and cleaned up. I made myself look presentable, after all it was the anniversary of my love, and then I gobbled down some left-over take out.

I headed to the flower shop first, Shikamaru's girlfriend's family owned it, so I've gotten a discount these past two years on my rare flower-buying worthy occasions. Mostly, they're just for Ayame. Today was no exception and I bought her a huge bouquet of carnations, her favorite. At least, she says that, but I think that's only because that's the only flower I've bought her since I started this yearly tradition back in the second grade.

After that I headed to the chocolate store and bought some Lady Godiva's for Teuchi. Now these _were_ his favorite, though I can't figure out why someone would want to eat a chocolate named after a lady who used to ride horseback through her town… _naked. _Oh well, to each his own I guess.

I made it to Ichiraku's and delivered my anniversary gifts. They both gushed and thanked me like always. Ayame-nee with her "Oh Naruto you shouldn't have!" even though she knew I would. Old man Teuchi did his own gushing as well, he did this whole routine every year where he'd eye the chocolates, read the label about four times, then lift the lid ever so slightly and stare at the contents of the box. Finally he'd lift one put of the box and sort of weigh it in his hand before taking one slow bite and moaning in satisfaction- I know, EWW! Old geezer moan!- but still I was happy he enjoyed himself. He said good chocolate was like good ramen, you had to truly savor it, I guess I could understand that, though I was usually too hungry and too impatient to savor my ramen like I should.

I was ready to head out when they gave me my gift, I never expected everything but every year they gave me a present anyway, it was usually some nice-enough old fashioned bauble but this year it was wrapped in rich green and yellow striped paper- no bow- and looked pretty substantial. When I opened it it was a picture frame, not just an empty one either, one of those digital ones that changes photos periodically.

Normally I would find something like this phony, suburban house wife-ish, and just overall unappealing, but receiving it from them, seeing my old pictures of me stuffing my face, some with my mom beside me doing the same, really warmed my heart. They took a picture of me everyday on our anniversary, and all the pictures so far were here, for me to see, along with a few others.

A clicking sound snapped me from my thoughts and I saw Ayame-nee holding a camera, "Happy Anniversary Naruto," she said.

I smiled and thanked them before heading off to the track. Man they really are good people.

Down at the track I made sure to pay extra special attention to Rasengan. I rode her for just about the hole day and helped out in the garage a little after that. It's good to know the mechanical basics of your field, in case of emergencies.

I was working on one of our older green bikes when I saw a duck-butt strolling over to me from the corner of my eye. "Teme," I greeted.

"Dobe," he answered back. It was silent for a while until, "So, the old man tells me you haven't been to school in a while,".

_How did I know this was coming? _"Yeah, what's it to you?" I asked. I felt sort of bad, I really liked old Duck-head, we went way back and I knew he was only trying to help, in his own annoying, bastard-ish way. I also knew he was probably only over hear because Jiraiya wouldn't stop bugging him about it, not that he didn't care, he just wouldn't know how to approach me without the excuse of having been speaking on behalf of someone else's concern.

"Look, I'm only hear because your baby-sitter asked me to talk to you," he bit back. _Bingo_.

I sighed, "Sasuke, I appreciate the effort, really I do, but there isn't anything left for me at school anymore anyway. I mine as well just learn as much as I can here in the field of my dreams instead of shoving a whole bunch of wasted effort into a school where no one seems to care anyway, heck _I_ don't even care… My place is here, my work is here, my _dream_ is here." I said.

Sasuke just looked at me, well more like _glared_ at me. He was never one for words, but he always got his point across. His glare was telling me that I did care, that surprisingly, he cared, and so did plenty of other people. "I'm not going to play mother-hen here, if you don't want to go then don't," he said "I just figured that after all that crap you screamed around in middle-school, you'd actually want to prove them wrong,".

He left then, not even uttering a good-bye. Typical teme behavior. He was right though, and I knew it. I'm sort of surprised he bothered to say all that, he really is a sweet guy on the D-L.

My whole life I've never exactly been a brainiac. I'd like to say I had my gliding to fall back on but that'd be a lie. I was terrible in the beginning. Jiraiya said I was just about the worst rider he'd ever seen, and I'd been working at it my whole life! I'm not really sure how, but a while after mom's death I just decided no more, I had to be good at _something_. I put my whole heart and soul into gliding and now I'm one of the best in the amateur league, heck I could probably even best some pros!

Back in seventh grade, when I met Iruka-sensei, he made me feel like gliding didn't have to be the _only_ thing I was good at, that I could prove the people that looked down on me in the classroom wrong too.

Somewhere along the line though, when high school started and we lost contact, and I was shoved into some rinky-dink high school where I had no friends, and stuck-up butt-faced teachers, I sort of let it go. School was never my dream, it was never as important as gliding, not even close.

But still, I did feel sort of down now that I wasn't even trying. I felt like I was running away and I sort of was. Suddenly a flash-back hit me, I was riding my old glider, I had to be about six or seven. It was cold as ice outside and pitch-black. Rain was coming down hard and I was coming up toward my last turn, it was a sharp one, but if I wanted to beat my time I had to keep heading straight for it at top speed. I punked out at the last minute and the abrupt change in gliding pressure and speed made me swerve, I fell and hit the track, hard. My bike fell on top of me and I broke my arm.

My mom could always make that turn, she could make it better than anyone else _'d ever seen. Something just snapped and I made a vow, my mother was the best glider I'd ever known because she was the bravest person I'd ever known. That's when I decided that never again would I be a coward. For myself and for my mother I would stay courageous.

This was probably a bull-headed move but I hopped back on the bike and raced the track again, this time heading toward the turn at top speed, faster than I'd ever gone before. And I landed it perfectly, I beat my previous record by almost seven whole seconds that day.

Jiraiya found me sick and huddled up under a tarp in the garage about an hour later. I had to where a cats for six months and had to go to physical therapy for about a year. They said I severely damaged my elbow, and that it probably wouldn't have been so bad if I had come in right away. I kept quiet about the whole going for another ride after breaking it in the first place thing. Pervy-sage lectured me enough already as it was.

I followed Sasuke's retreating figure with my eyes and figured it was time to stop being a coward. I headed home to get some rest, I was going to need it, I had school tomorrow.

Review, REVIEW!

Please and thank you ;D!


End file.
